Real
by Aeneid
Summary: An insensitive and clueless Okita Sougo pranks Kagura, and tries to deal with the consequences of his actions. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Oh boy, it's been a while since I updated, huh?

Anyway, I've got a new drabble series that I post whenever I feel like writing stuff. FF has been too much of a hassle for me to go to every since time I want to update my fic, so if you want to watch out for random musings from me, as well as my new stuff, I'm more active on my Tumblr.

My blog URL there is "late-nightlove" (remove the quotation marks). Feel free to follow me, or check there from time to time. The complete list of all my Gintama fanfiction is also there, so if you haven't read my latest fic (Kagura's birthday fic), it's also there. Alternatively, you can also check my AO3 for the birthday fic. The link is also available in my profile page.

Without further ado, please enjoy.

Inspired from Nakajima-megane's doujinshi entitled 'Sono Uso, Hontou'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

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Real

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Part 1 of ?

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Okita Sougo loved to play pranks, especially if the said person happened to be the people he really didn't like.

Take Hijikata Toushirou for example.

He never really liked the guy, so whenever possible, he would try to mess around with his head, all the while trying not to kill him. Kondo Isao would probably not be happy about it, nor would his sister, Okita Mitsuba, who was, well, longing over that guy. He had long accepted the fact that his sister was into that person he hated so much, but it didn't mean he was obligated to like him. And so, whenever his sister wasn't looking, he would target the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, but was careful enough not to kill him. He didn't like it when she was sad, so he had to, err, hold back on his pranks.

The other person who was worthy of his attention was the female Yorozuya member whom he was used to calling 'China'. She amused him to no end, for she was easy to provoke, and was quite violent when riled up. She never hesitated to scream out profane words at him whenever he made vulgar statements ("You sure are moody today. Are you on your period?"), nor did she hold back with her kicks and punches whenever they had one of those sparring sessions that almost always ended with him victorious, and the nearby building nearly destroyed to the ground.

Which was why whenever she saw him, the girl would always have a sour look on her face, as if she was sucking some lemon, or would glare at him if she could do it at all. Most of the time, she ignored him whenever their paths crossed, unless he provoked her outright.

She hated him, he hated her, and that was a fact of life.

One statement, however, changed everything between them.

"… I like you, China. Go out with me."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

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Real

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Part 2 of ?

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"W-w-w-w—" she looked so flustered right now that he bit his lower lip in order to stop himself from saying anything and interrupting her.

"I-I-I—" she swallowed for a moment before blinking over and over again, staring at him with those azure-colored orbs that he sometimes get lost in—

—okay, where the hell did that come from?

"U-ummm… A-are you—" immediately, she looked left and right, then behind her, her eyes narrowing. "Were you talking to me?!"

"… Is there another China here?" he drawled, raising an eyebrow at her.

If it was even possible, she turned as red as cooked lobsters. "W-well… I-I… ummm…" she coughed for a bit, her eyes now aimed at the ground as she spoke, her hands shaking a bit as she held her umbrella to shield her from the sun. "Sadist… I… I like y—"

Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore and began laughing like a mad man, tears running down his eyes. "… You fell for it." he said, wiping his right eye with the back of his hand.

"Errr, what?" she gave him a puzzling look.

"Geez China, use your brain. You actually thought I was serious? It was a joke." he coughed, trying to calm himself while explaining, but was unsuccessful. "Why would I like you anyway?"

"I-I-I…" suddenly, the redness in her face was gone, replaced by an angry fire in her eyes. "Well, fuck you!"

Before he could even blink, she closed her umbrella and smashed it squarely against his head. The impact of the blow was so strong that he fell to his knees. "What the hell, China, can't you take a joke!?"

"… Playing with someone's feelings… you think it's a joke?" she muttered angrily against her breath. "You're such a jerk. Go play your pranks on someone else."

He must have sensed that she was going to walk off already, so despite the ache in his head where she had hit him, Sougo stood up immediately to grab her arm. "I'm not done with you, China." he whirled her around, forcing her to look at him. "Where do you think you're—"

Seeing the loathing look on her face, her eyes red from the tears that were now running down her cheeks and the way she bit her lip to hold everything together had shocked him. His usual poker look had cracked, and was replaced with a look of concern. "… Hey, you—"

"Fuck off. Don't you dare say you'reconcernedwhen you're not." she slapped his hand away. "And don't touch me."

"Why are you so angry?"

He was ignored when she walked past him, tears streaming down her face. For added measure, she kicked him on his right shin as soon as she had opened her umbrella again, enough to make him keel over from the pain, but not strong enough to break his right leg, like she had done before.

Geez, what the hell was her problem?

It was just a joke.

And… what was _she_ so angry about?

He really couldn't figure it out.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

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Real

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Part 3 of ?

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Okita Sougo made his way back to the Shinsengumi compound, the pain in his head and his shin now a dull ache. China's hits were painful, but not enough to render him dizzy nor unable to walk. As he removed his shoes in the _genkan_ area of the compound, he was well on his way back to his room when he noticed a certain Shinsengumi member in the common room, busy reading a book.

Right then and there, he decided to do a social experiment, just so he could get all his bases covered. The events that morning still left him confused, and he wanted to know what went wrong.

"Hijikata-san, I think you're awesome." He spoke up.

Said person raised an eyebrow at him, a look of derision evident on his face. "… That's disgusting, even for you, Sougo." He said, feeling a shiver of disgust run down his spine. What the hell was he thinking, saying something so out of character? Hijikata was sure that the boy was on drugs, or had been drugged. "Did you get hit on the head too hard?"

The trademark blood-red eyes narrowed into a glare. "Obviously, that was a lie, Hijikata-san. I'm still going to kill you." The first division captain switched back to his normal deadpan tone that the older man was used to. "And even if _aneue_ has feelings for you, don't think it'll stop me."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Hijikata said, preferring this Okita over the one that went, well, a bit too crazy with his words of… admiration. "What's gotten into you, blurting out nonsense like that?"

Suddenly, in the most un-Okita way possible, the younger man looked confused and… pensive. "I met China earlier."

"And?" he inhaled the cigarette on his lips.

"I told her that I like her, then laughed at her face for believing me."

_… You _do not _do that._ "And then?" the tone in his voice sounded so bored, but Hijikata was a bit curious about what Okita did. Right now, the sadist looked like he was going to get sent to prison for something he didn't do.

"She got mad at me." Sougo sighed. "Why the hell did she get so worked up over it? It was obviously a joke."

The vice-commander of the Shinsengumi resisted all urge to slap himself in the forehead. Despite being the ladies' man, Sougo was still a clueless dumbass when it came to girls, especially towards a certain _qipao -_clad vermillion-haired Yato with azure-blue eyes. "… You didn't realize the possibility that she may _actually_ have feelings for you?"

"… She does?"

_Yep, he's total dumbass._ Hijikata sighed all of a sudden, exhaling the cigarette smoke at the same time, totally exasperated at Sougo's earlier actions towards his "rival" (yes, "rival", with quotation marks, as Hijikata knew that they really weren't rivals in the truest sense). "… That's the only reason I can think of right now." The raven-haired man wondered how China was coping with the prank that the idiot pulled on her. "But then again, she probably hates you—"

All of a sudden, Sougo broke out into a menacing smile. "In that case… it'll be easier for me to torment her, then." He interrupted. "She likes me, huh? What a fool. Never show your weakness to your enemy, and yet, she's doing the exact opposite."

_… I rest my case. He's a clueless dumbass who hasn't realized yet that he's _the _idiot._ "… Do what you want. Just don't sink into a depression or something when she completely ignores you." Hijikata said, picking up a day old newspaper from the low table in front of him.

"Hah. Like that will happen." He replied so confidently that Hijikata could only shake his head in response.

_Teenage angst, here we go._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

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Real

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Part 4 of ?

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The place where he saw her again was an unusual one, for it had been the hostess club that _nee-san_ worked for. While he was out on night patrol for that day, he caught a glimpse of her not in her trademark hostess look that made her look more like a clown, but that of a young woman who was… ready to entertain the men. China had gotten rid of the hair ornaments and had her hair tied up in a ponytail. Her trademark red _qipao _was gone, and was replaced with a sleeveless royal blue _qipao_ with golden trimmings that was so body-hugging and cleavage bearing that he raised an eyebrow at the sight of her breasts.

_… China has boobs? Since when?_

The skirt was long, but the slit of her dress made up for it: instead of the usual thigh-high exposure he was used to, the slit was so high that he estimated it to be navel-length. Light blue high-heeled shoes adorned her feet, as well as matching thigh-high socks.

_… Is she even wearing panties at all?_

Somehow, the thought of China entertaining men in that outfit, with the possibility of her wearing no underwear, did not sit well with him _at all_.

Ah, hell. Whatever floated her boat; it really didn't matter to him.

All he wanted was to torment her, since he hadn't seen her for three weeks, four days and—

He blinked all of a sudden, wondering what the hell his brain had just processed. It was highly unusual for it to store such detailed information, unless it had something to do with his plans of killing the vice-captain, or top-secret work-related information.

Shaking the thoughts away, Sougo made his way to the entrance of the hostess club, a smirk plastered in his face. "Oi China, isn't that a bit too daring for someone like you?"

Immediately, she turned her head at him, gave him a blank stare, and looked away.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?" he said, his voice a bit louder than before.

He was met with silence, and China continued to stare off to the distance before smiling at a group of males who were passing by the club. To his surprise, all four of them blushed at the gestured and nearly knocked themselves to the ground, which made the Amanto _giggle_.

Since when the hell she _giggled_? Her laughter was more of an unrefined type, her mouth hanging open, the sound of it akin to a maniacal type.

But now, she had a fan on her hand, _giggling_ behind it.

It annoyed him that she was focusing her attention at the fools who were trying their best to stand back up and walk away as fast as they could, all the while stealing glances at her before they were out of his line of sight.

"Oi China, didn't you hear me?" he said, grabbing her arm. Immediately, she shook his grip away, still not looking at him, and was now using her left hand to fan herself. "China!"

"… Is there a problem here?"

Okita looked to his left to see the de-facto lady boss of the Shinsengumi, Shimura Otae, smiling sweetly at him. "Ah, _nee-san_. There's no problem at all. Just talking to China."

"Weeeell, I don't know if you're clueless or not, Okita-kun, but doesn't it look like she doesn't want to talk to you?" came the sickeningly sweet tone that made him just a bit uncomfortable. "She's not even looking at you _at all, _even when you're talking to her."

He shrugged. "Well, that's what she usually does… until I do something to get her attention."

A sigh came from his rival. "… What do you want now?"

"See, _nee-san_? Everything's okay."

For some reason, the female Shimura glanced worriedly at the Amanto. "Kagura-chan, will you be okay for the meantime?"

"Don't worry, _anego_, I can handle it." Came her reply.

"Well, if you're sure… just scream if you need help, okay?" at the vermillion-haired girl's nod, the cabaret girl-slash-bouncer of Snacks Smile disappeared back into the club.

Just before he could open his mouth, she had beat him to it, her eyes an icy azure. "I don't even know why the hell you've even bothered going here, but let me make it clear to you: _you're dead to me._"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked hotly. "Aren't _you _overreacting a bit?"

"Hating people takes up too much energy." She continued on as if he had not spoken. "I'll just pretend that you're dead so that I won't spend every waking moment of my life thinking about my revenge. I suggest that you also move on with your life and go bother someone else 'cause I'm done dealing with you, and… hell, why should I even give a fuck about someone who's _already dead_?"

"China, you're not the one who decides these things." He said. "Now, stop being an idiot and—"

Before he knew it, a swift blow made its way to his face, and he could've sworn he felt his nose break upon the impact of China's fist. He fell to the ground, and exhaled deeply, feeling the pain spreading to his face. Blood was dripping from his nose, and he was more shocked than angry at the thought of her hitting him with so much force. Whenever they had their usual sparring sessions, she always held back with her hits, but this time around—

"… What the hell is wrong with you, getting worked up over that joke?!" he yelled. "Get over yourself!"

"Fuck you. I don't wanna bother explaining to a clueless jerk who can't understand that playing with a girl's feelings is just cruel." She kicked him angrily in the torso. "Get out of my sight."

"Oi China girl, have you seen Sougo?"

—-

Just when he had hit the lowest point of his night as of now, Hijikata Toushirou had appeared out of nowhere, and immediately, Sougo wanted to kick him. "… Sougo, go to the doctor." the raven-haired chain smoker remarked at the sight of his bloodied nose and rumpled look.

"Fuck off, Hijikata." He spat angrily, wincing a bit when he felt the pain coursing through his nose.

The older man sighed. "… Not my problem if your sister sees you like this."

He just had to hit one of the sorest spots for him. "Tch. That was low."

_'Not as low as what you did.'_ Out loud, he said, "China girl, did this idiot cause any problems? I could've sworn he was going to patrol _another area_, which is totally not Kabuki-cho."

"Who the hell are you talking about, Mayora? I didn't see any tax robber passing by here except for you."

_Ouch._ Hijikata honestly felt sorry for Sougo, but knew that one way or the other, he had to learn something the hard way. "Okay, nevermind. Well anyway, we'll, I mean, I'll be going now. See you around."

She nodded at him before continuing to fan herself once again, staring at the people walking down the street. Hijikata grabbed the injured young man's arm, pulled him up, and led him away from the area and headed for the direction of the compound. "Oi Sougo, get yourself together."

"Fuck off." He repeated, his eyes nearly dilating from the rage he was feeling inside. "Don't talk to me unless you wanna die right now."

All the vice-commander could do was hope that China would change her mind about this whole 'you're dead to me' mindset, but knew it was impossible, given that the injury she inflicted upon the Shinsengumi First Division captain had broken his nose. He was at least thankful that it only came to the nose and the torso, for he had no explanation to Mitsuba as to how her brother had ended up half-death if China had gone all out and decided to beat the crap out of him.

For now, he could only hope that the two would be… mature enough to settle their difference before all hell broke loose because of their petty lovers' quarrel.


	5. Chapter 5

Quick note: a bit of an author's note at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

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**Real**

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_Chapter 5_

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It had been some months since they last encountered each other, and by then, Okita Sougo's broken nose had healed quite nicely, though he was still as confused as ever. China and him never crossed paths anymore, which was boring, as he did not have anyone to mess around with. He would see her at times still passing by her favorite sukonbu store, but for some reason, China had changed. More often than not, he would see her frowning, or glaring, depending on her mood. He rarely saw her smile to herself anymore, something that he _slightly_ missed. A China who didn't smile was something like _nee-san_'s younger brother without the glasses: plain and had neither redeeming features nor qualities.

Two blazing hot afternoons in August, however, changed everything between them.

He found her sitting under the shade of a huge tree in the park that day. He, clad in his usual uniform, had been roaming around Edo under the burning heat of the summer sun, and was in need of a break. Unfortunately, the lone place for him to get some shuteye was the one China was under.

_Ah, hell, I'm dead to her. She won't give a damn._

After removing the trademark black coat that the police force wears, he hung the clothing on his right arm and made his way to the tree.

To his surprise, China was looking at him with alarm evident on her face, though it was quickly replaced by indifference when he made his way a few feet away from where she was. The female Yato was leaning against the trunk of the tree, while he headed for the left side of it, where it had the most shade. As he made his way to her left, he noticed that she lacked a certain item by her side, which he knew was something important, as members of her race carried it around with them at all times.

"Where's your umbrella?"

From the corner of his eye, he noticed her hesitate before mumbling, "… I dunno."

"Stolen?" when she did not respond, he got his answer. "Wonder what you did to piss off that person so much—"

"Obviously, it has nothing to do with you." She replied back harshly before turning away. At the corner of his eye, he noticed her wobbling and swaying back and forth. The female Yato was also sweating heavily, and her bright blue eyes were slowly turning into a dull sapphire. Before she could hit the ground, she had immediately steadied herself with a shaky left hand that she used to support her whole weight.

Before he knew it, his hands immediately tossed his black coat at her direction. The clothing had landed on top of her head, and her immediate reaction was a glare. Just before she could scream at him for being such a jerk, he said, "If you don't need it, throw it away. There's a garbage bin near you." With that, he stood up and walked away under the intense heat of the sun.

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She must've looked silly walking around Edo with the black coat over her head, with the arm sleeves tied under her chin. The heat was unbearable, but at least the sun wasn't aimed at her head anymore. Somehow, the coat, despite being a dark shade, was able to keep her cool under it. Kagura didn't feel so dizzy anymore, but that didn't mean that she was okay. Rather, she needed to go back to the Yorozuya to rest for the meantime, and then get back at those stupid male playmates of hers for hiding her umbrella.

It was bad luck that they found out that her weakness was sunlight, and they took advantage of it by stealing her umbrella while she was distracted. The female Amanto ended up staying under the shade and was even thinking of going back to the Yorozuya by sunset until _that guy_ appeared.

It had been nearly half a year since he played that prank, and he had not apologized for it. She tried to hate him, she really did, but ended up breaking her resolve when she talked to him a while back. Kagura swore that in her eyes, he was already dead, but it ended up becoming the exact opposite: whenever she saw him in town patrolling, one glance at him made her heart beat faster, and she always ended up frustrated and angry at herself for still getting affected over it. That jerk had made fun of her, and there she was, still pining over him.

What the hell was wrong with her?!

"I'm home…" she mumbled from the entrance of the _genkan_. Just when she was about to close the sliding door, the sky grew dim, and seconds later, it began raining heavily.

"Oh, welcome home." Shinpachi said. "Good thing you got home before the rain fell— uh, what's that on your head?"

"Ah, this." She untied the knot under her chin. "I'll be throwing it away when I'm done with my bath."

Hours later, while she laid by the couch after showering under the cold water, her hands were still holding on to his coat. Both Shinpachi and Gin-chan had seen the coat being brought around by her, but made no comment about it. As soon as the rains would let up, she would throw the damn thing away.

… If it would stop at all.

It thundered like mad, and the downpour still went on and on. Weather girl Ketsuno Ana had reported that there was a possibility of flooding if this continued for another twenty four hours. Shinpachi had already phoned _anego_ that he would be staying for the night in the Yorozuya, as it was impossible to go home at this rate.

As for her case, she just wanted the damn rains to stop so she could throw the coat away. The young woman wanted to throw it right now, at this instance, but both males have overruled her, saying that she should stay put.

"What am I gonna do when your lifeless body ends up in Edo Bay? Baldy's gonna kill me!" Gin-chan moaned in despair.

"You should be patient, Kagura-chan. Don't worry, it'll let up soon."

Two hours later, the rain was still pouring, and just when she was about to climb up to her 'room', the doorbell rang. Shinpachi was about to head over to the door, but to her surprise, her feet began moving by its own, and before she knew it, she had slid the door open…

… and came face to face with Okita Sougo, who was drenched from head to toe.

"Kagura-chan, who is—" as soon as Shinpachi saw who it was at the door, he blinked before walking forward to the doorway.

Heck, he knew. Even Gin-chan knew.

"Ah, Okita-san! Wait, I'll get a towel—"

"No need." Came the rough tone. "Just came by to drop something."

He raised his right hand and handed a familiar-looking item to the stone-faced Kagura. Wordlessly, she took it from him, careful as not to make skin contact with him, her eyes downcast as she got the umbrella. Immediately, she inspected the item to check if the Kabuki-cho boys had done something to damage it, and when she saw none, she sighed in relief.

"Ah, but you're thoroughly drenched. Let us at least offer you tea—"

He shook his head in response. "It's fine. I need to get back anyway." Before Shinpachi could even stop him, he had turned around to leave, then slid the door shut without looking back.

"… Kagura-chan, why did he have your umbrella…?"

"… Don't ask, you stupid _megane_."

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She wasn't surprised when it was blazing hot the next day. The rains were expected during the summer season, and that meant rains, sunshine, and a lot of sick people. The whimsical weather took a toll on most Earthlings, and thankfully, none of the members of her Yorozuya family succumbed to the sickness _yet_.

Her day was planned out perfectly: first, she would head to the _sukonbu_ store, and when she got back home, she would throw the stupid coat away. She had planned to put it under 'burnable rubbish' so that it would burn, and no traces of his stupid coat would remain. Today _was_ 'burnable rubbish day'[1], and it was the perfect time to throw that stupid thing away.

Another thing she was happy about was that she had her umbrella back, and that meant she could drop by her favorite _sukonbu_ store and buy more of her favorite food of all time. As she stepped out of the shaded area of the Yorozuya, she opened her umbrella and began skipping to her favorite store. The kind old lady smiled at her as she came in, and the Amanto was about to head for the small aisle where the _sukonbu_ was until she saw a familiar figure by the spicy crackers shelf.

"Micchan!" she called out to a fellow regular of the store, walking up to her. "Ran out of spicy crackers?"

The older woman turned and smiled at her. "Hello, Kagura-chan. And yes, I did… it's a bit pricy here in Edo, but it's the only way for me to be able to get them."

"Will you still be here by next week?" the two women had met up a month ago, and Kagura knew that she was staying in Edo temporarily to spend some time with a relative.

"Ah, yes, I'll still be here. I have nothing to do in Bushu, and my brother is here. I want to spend more time with him." Hearing her speak so fondly of her brother made her remember about her own who cared nothing for her, and immediately, she pushed the thought aside. "You want to meet up again?"

"Sure!" whenever possible, the two of them would meet up, hangout by the tea shop, eat dango (or in Mitsuba's case, dango covered with heaps of chili flakes) and call it a day when the sun began to set. "I hope I can bring _anego_ along this time. She's been very busy lately."

"Otae-san sure is a hardworking person. I wish… I could be like that too." She sighed.

Kagura knew that Mitsuba had just recovered from her sickness, and was advised not to overtax herself, as she might have a relapse. The brother whom she had been taking care of for most of her life had also forbidden her to get a job, as he said that it was 'his turn to take care of her'.

"Maybe you'll just need to convince your brother more." She jokingly said, grabbing twenty boxes of her favorite snack, just two shelves away from where her friend is standing.

"Oh, Sou-chan won't allow it." She smiled apologetically. "As much as I try to insist, he won't agree to it."

_… Sou-chan?_

"S-Sou-chan…? That's the name of your brother?" she had a bad feeling about this all of a sudden…

"Ah, his name is Okita Sougo. You've probably heard of him, since he's in the Shinsengumi." Mitsuba replied, failing to see the way Kagura's azure-colored orbs turned from curious to shock. "Have you heard of him, Kagura-chan?"

_Well, he's the guy responsible for my slump mode for months and for breaking my heart with his stupid prank._ Out loud, she shook her head. "Nope."

_'sides, he's dead to me._ She suppressed a smile at the thought of a 'ghost' returning her umbrella to her yesterday.

"Hmmm… maybe I could introduce the two of you when we meet up next time—"

"NO!" she screamed immediately, causing Mitsuba tilt her head in confusion at her sudden reaction. "I-I mean… there's… no place for a guy in a girls' day out, right…?" she said, lowering her voice this time around.

"Well… true. Maybe some other time…?"

_No thanks._ "… I have to go now." Muttering an apology, Kagura walked as fast as she could to the old lady to pay for her thirty boxes of _sukonbu_. She grabbed the paper bag and ran out, opening her umbrella to shield her from the sun. The young woman was in such a hurry that she failed to see the person in front of her, and before she could stop her feet, she crashed into a rather solid wall. Her umbrella, the paper bag that contained her _sukonbu_ had flown a few feet away from her.

The person turned around. "Ack, C-China-san, I'm so sorry!" Kondo Isao had gotten down on his knee and began to check on her. "A-are you okay…?!"

"Y-yeah… won't kill me, Gori." She said, rubbing her forehead, which had gotten a bit sore from the impact.

"Toshi, Sougo, help me out…!" the commander of the Shinsengumi yelled out as soon as he saw Kagura cover her face with her left arm. The heat had been unbearable and just a few seconds under the sun was making her weak.

The vice-commander gathered the _sukonbu_ on the ground and placed it back inside the paper bag while Sougo headed for the umbrella. With her eyes still closed, Kagura decided to cover her face by hugging her knees and pressing her face against her thighs.

_The sun… it fucking burns…_

If she wasn't going to die in the battlefield, she might as well die from heatstroke.

"Oi." Came that annoyingly familiar voice. Refusing to look his way, she used her left hand to grab the umbrella that was probably in his hands…

… only to hear a loud gasp coming from the gorilla commander.

_What the hell was with that reaction?_

She finally looked up and…

… found her left hand grasping Okita Sougo's crotch.

_WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK—_

Kagura dared to look up to him, and nearly squealed when she saw him looking at her with his usual poker-faced expression, though his cheeks were colored a light pink. He had bent his knees a bit to hand over her umbrella, but instead of touching the handle of her trademark item, her hand had found its way to his—

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAH!" she withdrew her hand as if it was on fire, jumped up, grabbed the umbrella from _him_, plus the paper bag from Hijikata, and made a mad dash back to the Yorozuya, all the while screaming her head off from both embarrassment and horror at what she had just done.

She ran up the stairs of the Yorozuya, threw her paper bag by the entrance hall, and without bothering to place her shoes neatly by the _genkan_, she ran to the bathroom and began washing her hands vigorously. Pumping more anti-bacterial liquid soap from the dispenser, she tried to calm her beating heart by washing her left hand vigorously. Kagura couldn't believe she had been careless enough to… grab him in _that place_, but then again, it was her own damn fault for not looking up to see if she was indeed grabbing the correct item.

_I… I… I can't believe I touched that…!_

Screaming in frustration, she began to add more soap on her left hand, locking herself in the bathroom, and scrubbing her skin raw until Gin-chan had told her to 'get the hell out before he threw all of her _sukonbu_ in the river'.

_That. Was. It._

Okita Sougo was trouble, and it was best to stay away from him.

If not that, continue to pretend that he's dead.

* * *

Three days later, the Yorozuya had been given a job order.

The call came from Kondo Isao himself, and had specifically requested 'China-san' for her help. When she asked for the details of the job, all she got was, "Toshi will explain it to you when you get here."

"But why me?" she asked.

"You're the only one who can help. Please…?" he sounded so damn desperate that she nearly felt sorry for him. In the end, she relented and agreed to help him out.

Kagura seriously did not _want_ to be here _at all_, but hey, if they were offering her money that was way too high than what Gin-chan paid her, she was fine with it, even if she had to leave the Yorozuya for a week.

Her job had been explained to her when she got there. According to Mayora, she was to help out Shinsengumi officers get back on their feet, as there had been a bad case of influenza that had spread around the compound. She was the only one who could do it, Hijikata said, as she, a Yato, was immune to nearly all viruses that Earthlings succumb to. As much as she did not want to surround herself with men, nor was she particularly excited over seeing a certain jerkass whom she _slightly_ felt a debt of gratitude to for bringing back her umbrella (she did _not_ want to think about the other incident), a job was a job, and it wasn't the time to be picky. Special arrangements had to be made in order for her to be able to stay in the compound, as it was off-limits to women, and right after the director of the police department gave his approval, she was off to the compound, along with her huge duffel bag filled with clothes and sukonbu.

The _jimi_ of the Shinsengumi had been the one to greet her by the gates, and immediately, he led her to the room of the person she was supposed to take care of.

What she did not expect, however, was that the person she had to take care of was the Shinsengumi's First Division Captain for at _least_ a week. If not that, then at least until he gets better.

_FUCK…!_

* * *

Notes:

[1] burnable trash day – Japan has a garbage schedule depending on which city you live in, and they only collect certain trash on certain days.

Apologies for the late update. As much as I wanted to write, my fingers were too lazy. So sorry. orz

As for the quick note: I've resorted to posting all of my fics (smut and non-smut) both at AO3 and Tumblr, and links to both sites are on my profile page. Tumblr is the most updated between the two, and links to the fics have been sorted at the Fanfiction section of the blog. I will still post fics here, but only the non-smut ones, and updates for the fics here might be slower.

Lastly, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please drop me a review and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

* * *

Real

* * *

_Chapter 6_

* * *

Kagura never knew it was literally possible to see red.

She may have done a similar thing in the past when she went up against Abuto, but that was when her Yato instincts kicked in, and blood was dripping down the sides of her head. Everything had been a blur, but she knew she saw red because Shinpachi had been in great danger.

This time around, she was so angry at the setup that they pushed her into that she was sorely tempted to destroy the damn compound. To hell with the huge payment they promised her; each and every one of them deserved to get hurt for this shit and—

"Kagura-chan…?"

She had been too engrossed in her plans to break all of the bones in their bodies that she did not notice the knocking on the _fusuma_. Behind her stood Okita Mitsuba, who had a facemask covering her nose and mouth, though she did not step inside the room. At the sight of her, Kagura nearly jumped in shock. "O-oh…! M-Micchan! I… didn't see you there." She laughed nervously, embarrassed at the fact that she had been unable to notice the presence of the older woman. "S-sorry about that… I was… thinking too hard, I guess…"

"No, no, it's no problem… I understand." Mitsuba shook her head. "I… take it that you were asked by Toushirou, I mean, Hijikata-san to take care of my brother…?"

Kagura's eyes narrowed at the way she addressed Mayora, but did not comment on it out loud. "I… guess so. They called the Yorozuya and asked for my help." _And I didn't notice their plan immediately. Would've backed out if I knew I had to take care of this jerk…! _Her dark mood was slowly setting in, and she was doing her best to quash it before she did something she would regret, like telling Mitsuba that her brother should just die from his sickness, if he _did_ suffer from an illness.

"I'm glad you have accepted." Mitsuba said, happiness evident in her tone, and Kagura forced a smile on her face as well. "As much as I want to take care of him by myself, I… can't. Or rather, the doctor forbade me from doing so."

"W-why…?" she found herself asking.

"I've been sick for years." At Kagura's concerned look, she shook her head. "Well, I'm fully cured now, but the doctor is taking extra precautions so I wouldn't have a relapse. With Sou-chan sick, I… I was told not to risk it."

_Let's hope that's true, or I'll destroy this damn thing to the ground._ Out loud, she said, "I'm sorry to hear about that." She said. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'll… take…" she swallowed. "I'll… take care of him… for you."

_… I'm turning into a hypocrite. I'm lying to Micchan, and I dunno if I can keep my promise…!_

Wasn't _she_ the one who said that she hated liars…?

_Ugh. Maybe I should just go back to the Yorozuya tonight…_

"O-oh my. T-thank you." The older sister of Okita Sougo grabbed both of her hands and shook it. "Thank you so much, Kagura-chan!"

"N-no… problem…"

_… What have I gotten myself into…?!_

* * *

Okita Sougo felt like shit right now.

His head was hurting, he couldn't breathe properly, and he was coughing nonstop. The daily vitamins he had been taking to stop the onset of the flu symptoms had been useless, as the day after _that incident_ with China, he had succumb to a mild fever. When he tried to sleep it off and woke up the next day, it took a turn for the worse. The doctor who had checked up on him had declared that his sickness was "highly contagious at this point" and immediately after, he was isolated from the Shinsengumi members, as well as from the other captains of the different divisions. Yamazaki went inside his room from time to time to give him some food, complete with the usual flu mask covering his nose and mouth. At breakfast, the _jimi_ Shinsengumi member had informed him that they had hired someone to take care of him and would be coming in by early afternoon. He had been way too groggy to give a damn about the person that he fell asleep, ignoring the soup that was placed a few feet beside his _futon_.

_… Shouldn't that person be here by now…?_

Slowly, he lifted his head from the pillow and saw an unfamiliar piece of luggage lying a few feet away from him. Blinking slowly, he tried to remember if it looked familiar, but upon realization that it belonged to no one he knew, Sougo tried to rack his brains for an answer. But before he could seriously think of the possibilities, the door slid open from behind him.

"Tch, you're awake."

_That voice…_

Slowly, as not to make his headache worse, he turned his head to see a familiar woman whose hands were currently carrying a wooden bucket. A frown was on her face as she looked at him, and her eyes were filled with contempt. " 'bout time. Thought you were gonna die in your sleep." Sarcasm was oozing in her tone, but he chose to ignore it.

"Why're you here…?" he asked weakly.

"Influenza in the tax robber's den." She shrugged. "Mayora decided to hire me 'cause I'm nearly immune to human viruses. Thought I was gonna take care of a bunch of whiny guys until your Shinpachi led me here."

As far as he knew, he was the only one who got sick with the flu, and hearing her say that every rank-and-file member got infected made him blink. "… T-they're… also sick…?"

"Looks like it's only you. Went around and saw all of them doing normal tax robber stuff."

_Hijikata…! That asshole…!_

He _does not_ like it when people meddle in his affairs, and finds it totally annoying when someone tries to be 'nice' and steps in to help. But when Hijikata Toushirou gets involved, his anger towards the vice-commander turns into on a whole different level of hate, and despite the raging headache and the fever that coursed through him, Sougo was very much ready to beat the hell out of him for setting up this whole thing.

Hell, even _he_ could see right through that stupid mayonnaise freak's scheme!

_Damn you, what the hell are you planning…?!_

He was feeling dizzy, but if one's will wanted to crack Hijikata's skull open, there surely was a way for him to do such…!

"… Were you dumb enough to fall for his pathetic excuse? Even a kid could see through this… whatever-the-hell he's planning!" the demonic vice-commander knew that his association with China had turned for the worse with the incident in the cabaret club, and not to mention the crotch-grabbing incident that had turned him into the butt of jokes for a few days before he succumbed to his illness.

She rolled her eyes. "Go on, insult me more. I haven't heard the best yet!" she called out sarcastically as she set down the wooden bucket just beside him, with some of the water spilling on the tatami and the _futon_ . "Why don't you shut up and let me do what's asked of me?! Gin-chan _will not _be happy if I mess up this job!"

"Answer me. Why are you still here if you hate me so much!?"

There, he said it. Both of them knew, yet no one wanted to say anything about the current status of their strained relationship. His tired eyes were staring at the vermillion-haired girl, who was staring at the _tatami_, as if contemplating over what he had just said.

To his surprise, her azure-colored eyes looked up at him.

"That's 'cause I—"

_I care about you_, was what he wanted to hear.

"—need more money." was the blunt truth she had spoken out loud.

Somehow, the truth of her words made him feel down.

And he couldn't understand why.


	7. Chapter 7

I was in the mood for an update, so here's an early chapter 7.

Thank you once more to everyone who have read and review the previous chapters. :) you guys are the best!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

* * *

Real

* * *

_Chapter 7_

* * *

_Why isn't sadist well yet?_

This was a question that has been running on her mind on the second day she had been staying in the tax robbers' compound. No matter how well she had been routinely doing her job by nursing him, feeding him (a task she seriously hated doing), and helping him change his outfit, his temperature had not gone down. In fact, he seemed to be getting worse, as he was barely able to sit up for his feedings and was coughing a lot harder than before.

She knew that if she didn't do anything immediately, he might end up suffering a sickness far worse than what he was going through right now.

… Not that she really gave a damn for his well-being.

On the contrary, if he didn't get well, she wouldn't be able to get her money. It was simple as that.

The huge amount of money was her sole driving force in making him better but…

Fate, it seems, was playing a trick on her, and was forcing her to spend more time with him that necessary.

The sooner he got better, the faster she would be able to leave this compound.

For some reason, the thought of her staying only for a shorter period than what she originally intended did not sit well with her. It was illogically, really, for her to feel that way, though she had an inkling that the reason behind it was because she wanted to spend more time with Okita Mitsuba, her most favorite person in the compound right now. She was a very lovely woman, and she liked spending time with her because it gave her an idea on how to act like a lady.

Despite the reasoning she told herself, she was still unconvinced.

What was wrong with her…?

* * *

"He's still not getting any better." She told Mitsuba later that noon while she and the female Okita had lunch together in one of the private rooms of the compound. As ordered by the doctor, her younger brother was to be quarantined in his own room, and Mitsuba was forbidden to see him. All she got was updates from his 'nurse', a.k.a. the female Yato who was paid to take care of her beloved brother.

"Oh my… why so…?" Mitsuba's face was filled with worry, and Kagura felt a pang of sadness upon seeing the older woman looking like she was about to cry. A part of her wished that Kamui would worry about her like what Mitsuba did, though she knew that was very unlikely to happen. That asshole was probably out in space, killing everything in sight.

"I… I don't know. I've been doing everything that was said in the manual but… what am I doing wrong?" she wondered.

Yamazaki, who happened to enter the room while they were having their meal, was quick to answer. "China-san, maybe it's because you… do it so… uhh, routinely?"

"What do you mean by that, _jimi_?" she demanded to know.

"W-well…" suddenly, he got nervously. "J-just like cooking, you… well… you need to… umm… put love in it to, you know… to make it… delicious."

"… I don't understand." She remarked bluntly.

"Like cooking… to make it taste more delicious, you need to put more love into it." He said, praying to some deity that she wouldn't kick him after he was done. "Just like with taking care of Okita-san, you need to… be more gentle and kind to him."

A dark aura had suddenly permeated the room, and Yamazaki was very much prepared to get abused by China-san, who looked like she wanted to pulverize him right then and there. Several seconds later, however, she pushed her tray away, muttered a 'thanks for the meal', and exited the room, clearly heading for the room of her charge. As soon as she was out of earshot, Mitsuba shot him a disheartened look. "… She didn't look very happy about that."

"I… I apologize for being too hasty with the advice." He bowed his head in shame. "Maybe I shouldn't have said it right away—"

"No, no, it's fine. The timing was just right. Sou-chan must get better soon before it turns for the worse…" Mitsuba sighed. "I know Kagura-chan can help him but… I guess they're too stubborn for their own good."

"… Hijikata-san plans to do more drastic measures."

"Oh really? Toushirou-san will?" she asked, her red-colored irises brightening all of a sudden. "What does he have in mind?"

"Well…"

* * *

_That stupid _jimi… _who the hell does he think he is, giving me advice on how to take care of that sadistic brat?!_

Truth to be told, she _did_ lack the… compassion aspect, especially since at clockwork, she would feed him, give him his medicine, then leave, only to go back in his room to wake him up, feed him, and give him his medicine. Her temporary lodging was just beside sadist's room, just in case when he calls out for her, she would be able to get to his side immediately. So far, he hasn't exercised that right yet, though she didn't want him to. A sadist was still a sadist, after all, and he could use it against her.

_A job's a job. Hang in there, Kagura…!_

Patting herself on the cheeks, she slid open the _fusuma_ leading to his room. "Oi sadist, are you awake already?!" she called out.

When she got no response, she smiled to herself, as she didn't want to see him wide-awake and looking at her while she did her job. With him awake, she was subjected to his staring, which made her very uncomfortable, and made her nervous. Kagura was not used to him looking at her so intently, and she wondered why he was doing such…

Hell, he hates her, right?

"Oi, wake up." She shook him awake, and got a grumbling in return. "Time to eat." Without waiting for his reply, she pulled him by his _tomoeri_, placed an arm at his back to support him, and took a spoonful of porridge from the bowl. "Open your mouth, idiot."

Sougo opened his mouth a bit, eyes still closed, and she shoved the food in his mouth. Choking a bit, he cracked one eye open. "… China, what the hell was that..." he muttered, his mouth full.

"Jerk, open your mouth wider, will you?!" she yelled. "Stop giving me a hard time!"

"Stop screaming, my head hurts…" he mumbled, coughing in her face accidentally, a grain of rice sticking to her cheek in the process. "Ah, so—" before he could even complete his sentence, she slammed him back against the futon, earning a yelp from the sick man.

"What the hell?! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"

"No I didn't." he said truthfully, eyes closed.

He felt like shit right now, and the last thing he wanted to see was China looking at him with her eyes filled with hatred. Her revelation two days ago about her taking care of him all because of the money was still a sore topic for him, but he knew that she was doing it because _danna_ was such a cheap-ass and refused to give her money.

But then again…

"Oh really? What makes _you_ so sure?" she challenged him.

"Honestly, China, if it was my intention, I would've barfed at you whenever I get the chance to do so." He shot back. "Seeing as you're a _terrible_ _nurse_, and I'm far from being well—"

"If you're so good, why don't _you_ cure yourself? I'm tired of your complains—" she began, but he interrupted her.

"If you hate doing this so much, why don't you just quit?"

His statement had made her stop and stare at him, wondering if he was getting delirious for saying such a thing. At this point, both of his bloodshot and weary eyes were now opened and staring back at her in anger. "I already told you that I'm doing this for the money, not for you—" at the last word, she had faltered, and he took this chance to interrupt her once again.

"Cut the crap, China. How much did that bastard offer you?" his serious tone had made her stop mid-sentence, and Kagura tried her best not to gape at his sudden coldness. Taking a deep breath, she said the figure, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing that I can't match. Tell you what, I'll pay you that plus fifty-percent more, as long as you leave tomorrow. You can still keep up the pretense of taking care of me just for the sake of showing to my sister that you're very hard-working, but get your ass out of the compound before dawn tomorrow."

Before she could say anything else, the next line was enough to dampen her spirits. "I don't wanna see you tomorrow, China, so better get the hell out of my sight."

"… Fine." She said slowly, thinking of what she should say next. Her mind had suddenly went to 'cautious mode', since his mood had went from 'don't care' to 'fuck off'. "As for your food—"

"Throw that away. Not gonna eat anything from you." And with that, he turned his back on her. "Get out of here, China. I need to rest."

Sighing to herself and running a hand on the offended cheek to remove the grain of rice, Kagura took the tray beside the _futon_, slid the _fusuma_ open with her foot, and made her way to the canteen of the compound. Right after handing it to the kitchen staff for them to wash, she then went back to the room adjacent to his, and as soon as she sat on the tatami did she feel tears run down her face.

_What the… why am I crying…?_

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her arm, she tried to stop the tears from flowing, but failed to do so. Kagura bit her lips to keep herself from crying out loud, though hiccups and sniffles had replaced it.

_Better that than let him hear me cry_, she thought to herself as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

As for the tears, she'll figure it out soon enough.


	8. Chapter 8

I... finally finished chapter 8. orz

For **_miso ramen goddess_**, 'cause she was nice enough to tell me if the ending for this chapter was just right.

Anyway, without further ado, here's Chapter 8!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

* * *

Real

* * *

_Chapter 8_

* * *

"Absolutely not."

Hijikata Toushirou took a heavy puff from his cigarette as he sat outside Sougo's room. Seconds later, he ducked out of the way as he narrowly missed the _katana_ that went through the thin opening of the sliding doors. "… And what's with that violent reaction? I thought you'd want this—"

"Hijikata, don't meddle in my affairs." Came the cold-hearted tone before the coughing fit. "China leaves by tonight."

It had been two days since he had demanded that the Amanto leave the compound. He wasn't surprised when she was still in the compound the next day and was carrying a bucket of ice cold water along with a small hand towel. He had provoked and insulted her about how she sucked at taking care of him, only to be met with stony silence. When it didn't work, he continued on with his remarks until she began to scrub his skin raw using the towel.

He had never known the feeling of getting sunburned until she scrubbed him raw and poured cold water all over him.

"And what, ask Yamazaki to take care of you? You're at a highly infectious stage now; we will not risk one guy actively helping out the townspeople recover from a simple case of flu just for you. Yours is not a simple case, and if you infect Yamazaki, you infect us all." Hijikata explained. "Why do you think China girl is here?"

"To piss me off." Came the bitter tone.

Hijikata sighed out loud, clearly exasperated at his childish reaction. "… Sougo, I suggest you take this chance to be nice—"

"—Go to hell, Hijikata—"

"—and say sorry—"

"What the hell did I do wrong anyway?!"

Hijikata smacked his forehead before he could even stop himself. Sougo was acting like a brat, and no matter how many times he told him to go left, he would go right. The older man knew it was partially because the First Division Captain hated his guts, and the other reason was that he was totally stubborn.

"… Not gonna point it out the obvious, but just so you know, sometimes, you need to swallow your pride in order for everything to work out."

"How would _you_ know?! You're the last person I know who'll do such a thing." He said bitterly.

"… Why do you think your sister and I can manage to have a conversation lately?" at this, Hijikata stood up, dusted himself, and took another puff. "But anyway, good luck in dealing with China girl, but as I've said, I will not let her leave until you fully recover. The sooner you get better, the earlier she can leave. Help her leave by getting back on your feet."

With that, the vice commander walked off, leaving a very bewildered Okita Sougo.

_Him and… _aneue_…?_ Sougo was aware of the fact that Hijikata and her have come to an understanding, but Hijikata _admitting to him _about their relationship status irked him, though he had to applaud the guy for saying it straight at him.

Still, his hand itched to punch the bastard.

Who the hell was he to lecture him about China?!

Hell, he could handle China all by himself. Why was Hijikata suddenly butting in in his affairs?

_… He's up to something._

* * *

That afternoon, _danna_ and the Yorozuya _jimi_ had visited the compound.

He knew of it despite being confined in his room when he heard a squeal, and finally, a loud, "GIN-CHAN!"

Footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, and he knew it was China who was doing the running.

Sougo rolled his eyes upon hearing her scream out loud and whine about her job she was doing. Eyeglasses had spoken by then, noting that she looked like she wasn't getting enough sleep. A smack was heard, and he guessed that she had slapped eyeglasses, who was howling in pain and had dropped down to the ground with a loud thud.

Why the hell were they having their chat outside his room?

Couldn't they do it somewhere else?

The last thing he needed was hearing China whine more about him and her being a nurse.

As if hearing his silent prayer, China spoke up, saying, "I asked Gori and Mayora if we can stay in one of the rooms. They prepared snacks for us."

"Huh. Guess the tax robbers aren't that cheap ass after all. Lead the way." Footsteps gradually disappeared, and when he heard none of it anymore, he sighed in relief. It's weird, his mindset of unable to take insults from her recently. Hell, before, when they were younger, they could insult each other all day, but now…

He couldn't seem to stand getting insulted by her in front of the boss and the plain guy.

_Must be the fever. I'm getting delusional._

* * *

"… Can I ask why you suddenly led us away from Souichirou-kun's room? The tax robbers aren't _that_ generous in offering us afternoon snacks, you know."

Sakata Gintoki knew something was up when Shinpachi had pointed out the puffy eyes that Kagura was currently sporting. Years of failing to sleep properly gave Gintoki a bit of knowledge over it, and in his daughter's case, it was not just lack of sleep, but _something_ that he couldn't put his finger on.

Kagura ignored the question and stopped by an empty corner room, slid the door open, and looked back at the two. "Get in." when they didn't, she raised an eyebrow at the silver-haired samurai. "Why aren't you two going in?"

"Why don't you answer the question first?" Shinpachi asked gently.

At this, she scratched her head in irritation. "… What makes you think it's related to him?"

"Unless you've suddenly developed an allergy to whatever-the-hell-it-is-that-they-have-here, I could've sworn you've been crying a lot." Gintoki's dead fish eyes bore into her, and almost immediately, she felt tears running down her cheeks. A broken sob escaped her lips, and she stood there, crying her heart out, not caring anymore if anyone else had heard her. In an instant, the two were alarmed at her sudden reaction.

Gintoki was the first to recover from shock. "… Okay, what the hell did that sadist do to you?!" angrily, he turned around and was on his way to march to the sadistic captain's room when Shinpachi held him back by pulling on his _kimono_. "Oi _megane_, let go, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him—"

"G-Gin-san, calm down…! The guy's sick and—"

"Then I'd better break his legs and put him into the hospital for good, that bastard—"

"G-Gin-chan, don't…" she whined, sniffling. "I-it's fine… h-he's not worth… he's not worth it."

The silver-haired samurai was placated immediately. He stopped in his tracks, turned to his daughter, and gave out a defeated sigh. "… Of all the guys you had to fall for, why did it have to be him, hmmm? Kagura?" when she shrugged, snort running down both holes of her nose, he sighed. "It just _had_ to be the guy whose crotch you grabbed—"

"Shut up, Gin-chan!" she screamed at him as she went forward to try and literally sweep him off his feet. Gintoki, sensing her intent, ran as fast as he could, his footsteps echoing beneath the wooden flooring. "Oi, get back here, you stupid naturally-permed jerk!" with her face as red as the _qipao_ she was wearing, the silver-haired older man tried not to laugh and tried to dodge all of her attacks.

"Kagura, that's not nice. As your special guests, you should treat Gin-san and Shinpachi-kun well." He said in-between the ducks he was doing, avoiding her kicks and punches.

"Shut up!" she screamed, stomping her feet in frustration. "S-stop teasing me…!"

"Hey, at least you feel better now, right?" at this, she looked up in surprise. "What, you think I was just teasing you for fun?"

"Obviously, Gin-chan." She frowned at him. "Thanks for cheering me up."

"No problem, crotch grabber Kagura."

A swift uppercut was immediately delivered to Gintoki's jaw.

* * *

At midnight, while everyone was sound asleep, including the guy she was taking care of, Kagura quietly made her way to the private bath that the Shinsengumi had assigned to her. The compound had four bathrooms, one of which being the public bath that all the members of the police force use. The two other bathrooms were semi-private baths that may be used by the members of the police force whose rank was captain and above, while the remaining bathroom was used exclusively by the commander. To avoid any accidental walk-ins, Kagura was assigned to a bathroom near her room for use while she was staying over at the compound. Every male in the compound was required to stay at least two meters away from her bathroom, which everyone carried out dutifully.

She was thankful for the privacy, as she had the bathroom all to herself, and because it was midnight, she could use it for as long as she wanted. Her patient had been sleeping for some hours already, and she needed a long, warm soak. She found it surprising that after following Yamazaki's advice, she was becoming weary after the long day, in contrast with the previous days wherein she was still full of energy, even after midnight.

_But then again, it's only now I've started taking care of him seriously_, she thought, referring to her helping her patient sit upright during mealtimes, making sure that he ate his soup and finished all of it, no excuses. He didn't look particularly happy with her staying, but Kagura knew that even she had to suck it up if she wanted more money. The faster she was done with this, the earlier she could get home and be with her family once more. Problem was, she only decided to take this job seriously and that meant an extension of a week before the tending she did would take effect.

_This is your fault anyway._ She told herself as she begun to undress herself in the changing room that doubled as the toilet. _If only you did your job seriously from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened—_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the sliding door of the bathroom slid open and she came face to face with a panting and bleary-eyed Okita Sougo.

And she just stood there, _naked as the day she was born_, her long vermillion hair which reached the middle of her back doing _nothing at all_ to at least cover herself and—

Immediately, she covered her mouth to suppress the scream that was stuck in her throat and turned away from him. Hell, at least he wouldn't be able to see anything unless he looked down and—

"… What the hell are you doing here?!" he rasped before coughing violently.

"I-I was supposed to take a bath before _you_ got in and—"

"This bathroom was supposed to be only for _my_ use—"

Oh god, this was _not _going as planned. "Then I'm leaving!" she was just about to retrieve her clothes hanging on the back of the sliding door when she realized a bit too late that twirling around to face him was not the best idea. The look on his face when she turned around to face him said it all as it went from pale white to a beet red, and immediately, she covered her breasts with her arms. "Errr, turn around, will you…?!"

"… Get inside."

"Huh?"

"Use the tub. I need to use the toilet." He commanded her, pushing her by the shoulders. "Go, China."

"Fine…! You don't need to push me, you know!" she screamed before shutting the door to the bathing area loudly just to annoy him.

With her out of earshot, Okita Sougo sighed to himself, now wondering how he was going to deal with a full bladder when he half hard from what he had just seen. The last thing he expected to see in the bathroom was a _naked_ China, and he was thankful that the _yukata_ he was wearing right now was loose, and didn't accentuate the obvious. He wanted to take a short walk to calm himself, and at the same time to stretch his legs, as he had been bedridden for the past few days. Sighing once more, he turned to the door, slid it open, closed it, and headed for his bedroom to get his _hanten_ [1] before beginning his walk.

* * *

Tonight wasn't that cold, but Sougo knew he shouldn't push himself too hard as he did not want to have a relapse. As much as he wanted to teach China a lesson because of her stubbornness to stay, he wanted her out as soon as possible…

… or probably not.

In truth, both logic and emotions were having a fight, with logic screaming at him to push her away while emotions wanted to use this current opportunity to keep her closer to him. Even he was surprised at how his emotions could make him act out of character, and it scared him. China, it seemed, had some power over him, and it was getting out of hand. The logical side of him was serious with pushing her away, but even he himself couldn't do such to her. Her presence may make his heart beat faster than ever, and it confused him more than ever.

What _did_ he feel towards China anyway…?

She broke his nose, ignored him for some time, is now grudgingly taking care of him, insults him whenever she had the chance to do so and yet—

_Ugh, this is _not_ the time to be thinking about this._

Women were complicated, and that included female Amanto who confused him greatly. Thinking into it too much might force him into another relapse, and that was the last thing he needed. He wanted China to leave as soon as possible just so he would stop dreaming of her every other night, knowing that she was sleeping in the room just next to his. There hadn't been any temptations to sneak into her room and just stare at her while she slept and—

_Nice job, Sougo. You're turning into a real creep._

When he started sneezing after half an hour, Sougo knew he had to get back quickly. Making his way back to the compound, he sighed in relief as he got back just in time before it started raining real hard. As he removed the footwear, he took little notice of the footsteps that were echoing behind him. What caught his attention was the blow that he got on his lower back that had sent him falling face first to the round. Before he could get up and yell at the person who had hit him, he was startled to see China, clad in light pink pajamas, looking very distressed.

"Where the hell were you?!"

"I went out for a walk—"

"You idiot! What if you started spreading your damn disease around?!" she hissed.

"Nice joke, China. I didn't see anyone—"

"Not the point. What if you got caught in the rain?!" she hopped down the gap, grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him. "If you get any sicker than this, it's gonna be _my_ responsibility! And no, I'm not backing out of it!"

"Whatever, China." He rolled his eyes. "Just do whatever it is that you have to do and—"

"Yeah, and you'd better cooperate." She slid the door open to his room, but before she could even throw him inside, he grabbed the pajama pants she was wearing. "What now?"

"… Toilet." He mumbled. The walk had calmed down the hormones that had hit him full force, but that didn't mean the same for his bladder. "Can I at least go to the toilet?" he asked her sarcastically.

At her nod, he immediately got inside the bathroom and did his business. He was surprised when, as soon as he opened the door, she was still standing there in front of the bathroom, her hands crossed over her chest. "The hell are you doing there?"

"Making sure you're gonna go to sleep."

He ignored her and proceeded to slide open the door to his room. Just when he was about to shut the sliding doors to his room, she stepped in and closed the _fusuma_ behind her. "Now go to bed." She said while Sougo shook his head in disbelief as he headed to where his _futon_ was located, and when he slipped in-between the covers, his eyes nearly bulged out when the Yorozuya girl kneeled down and flipped the blanket. "China! What the fuck are you—"

"You were shivering." She said quietly. "Micchan told me that the best way to warm someone up was with body heat and—"

"No doubt she was right, 'cause kids' body temperatures are higher than adults and—"

She colored at his comment, knowing that her actions had caused her enough embarrassment for one day. "W-well, looks like you don't need my help." Kagura started getting back on her feet.

_Shit, shit, shit. Sougo, what the fuck did you just do!? The opportunity was there, dumbass!_ Before he could lose his courage, he sat up and said the words.

"Stay."

She twirled her head back, vermillion locks flying aside. "… Huh?"

"Stay." He repeated, eyes still downcast on his blanket, dreading if it had been a good idea on his part to be so bold.

"… Okay." Slowly, she lifted the blanket and stayed by the edge of the _futon_, but still did not lie down next to him. His _futon_ was quite small for two grown people, but if they laid together side by side, they could still fit in it.

"Look, are you gonna sleep or not?" came Sougo's frustrated tone. "I'm trying hard to open my eyes right now 'cause I'm so damn sleepy, but you're—"

It all happened so fast: one minute, he was ranting, and before he could scold her further for keeping him up with all of her antics, she had grabbed the collar of his yukata and gave him hard kiss on the lips. Her tongue forced his mouth open, and before he could even respond back, she pushed him aside once more, with Sougo landing on his pillow.

"Good night." She said. "And for once, shut up, sadist. Time to sleep."

And with that, Kagura snuggled under the blankets of his futon, leaving a rather speechless and now widely-awake Okita Sougo gaping at her sleeping form.

_... What the fuck just happened?!_

* * *

Notes:

[1] _hanten_ - short winter coat worn by the common people. Sougo had to use it for summer because of his cold.

Thanks for reading this! I hope you guys can drop me a review and tell me what you think of it! :3


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